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Irken Biology
Appearance Irkens are a humanoid breed of alien whom hold insect-like properties, but are likely not actually insects (however, they are certainly not mammalian, either). They have three fingers, though if you watch there's an occasional fourth, due to indecisiveness on Jhonen's part among other things, and they seem to have no toes; however, that might be due to the art style. Many fans seem to agree that they would have two or three toes. Irken skin is always green, though there is some difference in its shade, as Zim's skin is darker in color than that of both Tallests. Their eyes have no whites or pupils, being only a single color, varying from red, pink, purple, green, and yellowish-brown (which seems to be the rarest). Their tongues are long and segmented, almost worm-like, while their teeth are slightly pinkish in hue and interconnected to form two long teeth (smeets, however, have only one small tooth similar to a human child's baby tooth, suggesting that the other teeth grow and interconnect at a later time). The antennae on the tops of their heads are plain in structure, differing between genders; males have simple pointed tips, while female antennae curl at the ends (females also have eyelashes). It is unclear if these are actual genetic differences or just socially acceptable fashion practices. All Irkens are fitted with PAKs, confirmed in The Trial script by Tallest Red, which are placed on the upper back and have three separate compartments, the largest at the top (likely for easier access). At first sight, they do not seem to be based off any real-life influence, such as other science-fiction aliens, aside from looking like "little green men". However, a possible early version of Zim appears in Jhonen's comic Squee!. This alien has an Irken-like outfit, but its face resembles that of the "Grey" aliens, which are the classic sci-fi aliens. If this is correct, then Irkens are technically based off of Greys. PAK The Irken PAK is a device attatched to each Irken's spine, which holds the Irken's memory, knowledge, and has some handy tools, too, such as spider legs, a communication device, etc. The PAK is attatched to an Irken's spine after birth. I If a PAK is deattatched from an Irken's spine, within ten minutes, the Irken will expire. Organs and Anatomy The details of their inner anatomy are mostly unknown, save for their 'Squeedilyspooch', which is mentioned throughout the series and is confirmed in the commentary of Germs to be one large super-organ, filling the Irken's entire torso, which performs almost all bodily functions. It is possible that their equivalent of a heart is separate from the squeedilyspooch itself, as Zim makes reference to it in Parent Teacher Night. Irken brains look almost exactly like human brains, and exist mainly to control the PAK, being unable to function normally without it. An Irken's blood has never been seen in the show, but there have been some hints in episodes such as Planet Jackers (when he tried to distract them by fighting them hand-to-hand). After a while we see Zim again, but this time he is badly injured and his face is covered with patches of green liquid; presumably blood. Another good example of an Irken's blood color is any time he gets burned with meat like in Tak: The Hideous New Girl, when he returns home and we see him in GIR's point of view, smoking and covered with dark green patches (most likely bruises) on his face. However, Jhonen mentioned at some point that Irken blood was a clearish-pink in color, though it is unclear if he was actually being serious or not. Most fans seem to agree on the 'not' option, opting instead for green, purple, or (less commonly) blue, and sometimes even red. Suggested at the end of Dark Harvest, when Zim was deemed 'healthy' by the nurse once she checked his thermometer, an Irken's body temperature may be very close to that of humans. An Irken's skeletal system is almost similar in structure to a human skeleton, but more flexible, durable, and can regenerate and heal much faster. The skeletal structure of several Irkens can be seen in The Nightmare Begins . Although Irkens don't have any nostrils, they smell from the same area as humans; however, this reaction may be for comedic purposes for the show only. Either that, or there is a permeable membrane in that area which can detect scents. It is speculated that their antennae also serve this purpose, as well as being meant to pick up sound, though it was never confirmed exactly what the antennae are meant to do (other than express emotion). Irkens have surgically installed ocular implants that enhance their eyes' 'line of sight' (but this may not apply to all Irkens), such as in the episode Walk of Doom, when Zim searches for his home base on top of a skyscraper in the middle of a city. Genders and Reproduction As confirmed by the creators, Irkens do not have any sort of reproductive organs, and propagate solely through cloning in facilities many fans refer to as 'smeeteries'. However, in some fanfiction, Irkens can reproduce sexually (though how they copulate is debatable), and some stories may have them as birthing smeets live, or even from eggs. The latter seems more likely where the Irken race is concerned, as there are few non-mammalian species that give birth to live young. The Irken race does seem to have two separate genders, but the differences between them are minimal. You can recognize females by their higher voices, curlier antennae and eyelashes. The differences between the sexes is not really too relevant in their society anymore, as we have already seen that Irkens are grown artificially and therefore not born naturally. In any event, female Irkens are able to perform military tasks up to and including Invader and Elite classes, the former seen with Invader Zee and Invader Tenn, while the latter is mentioned by Tak (and confirmed in concept sketches of Elite soldiers). In the unfinished episode The Trial, the tallest was also female (confirmed in concept sketches of Tallest Miyuki) There appear to be far more male Irkens than female, though again, this may have something to do with the artists rather than the actual gender statistics of the Irken race. Strengths and Weaknesses Irken skin can kill parasites such as lice, possibly by secreting some sort of protective substance. However, while safe from such pests, their skin cannot tolerate Earth meat or beans (possibly proteins overall), the former burning them terribly and even fusing to their skin. They also have negative reactions when exposed to Earth liquids (namely water), though, as confirmed by Jhonen in the commentary for The Wettening, it is the pollutants in Earth water that causes the burns rather than the water itself. Paste suffices to completely nullify the effects of tainted Earth liquids; it seems that there is nothing that can protect them from meat, however. They sweat similarly to humans and can get zits when the skin is scrubbed by an oily substance (such as cheese and bacon). However, unlike human zits, they can grow to enormous size (as big as a classroom when fully swollen), and are translucent and filled with a vast amount of pus. Irken zits also have hypnotic powers when shaken. It may be just an allergic reaction to certain chemicals, such as a combination of cheese, bacon, and Acne Blast. Most Earth foods will make an Irken sick, although foods such as waffles, rich in sugar and carbohydrates (which appears to be the most likely typical Irken diet), seem to be fine if eaten in moderation. While the Irken diet itself consists mainly of snacks, very few Irkens are actually fat, so it is quite possible that what is junk food to us is perfectly healthy to them, and the only cause of obesity is (of course) overeating. This is clearly suggested in Mopiness of Doom, where Zim did nothing but sit around and eat snacks, eventually becoming much chubbier. Meanwhile, Skoodge always has what appear to be food stains on his uniform, while Sizz-Lorr's profession in fast food simply ''can't ''be healthy (even for an Irken). It is seen in certain episodes that an appendage can fall off or be removed and that it has no real influence, as seen in Dib's Wonderful Life of Doom and Planet Jackers; however, with the latter example, this is mainly due to Zim's eyes being optical implants (declared as standard issue for Invaders; but as shown in Walk Of Doom, these implants may not be as effective for some invaders than others, as Zim was on the top of a skyscraper and couldn't see his base in the city). Regardless of this, though, they can still heal at incredibly fast rates. Irkens also have strong wills, but simplistic needs and superiority issues with the universe. It is unknown whether or not Irkens sleep, and their PAKs may just keep recharging even when functioning so they don't have to. Of coures, they ''are ''able to sleep, and such is shown in both the original pilot and The Nightmare Begins. However, we have to date never seen an Irken's dreams. Despite their decades of military training, few Irkens show much prowess in the way of physical strength; although he is only a child, Dib has been shown to be more than capable of pinning Zim down. Therefore, with this in mind, it's possible that Irkens rely on their wits, technology, and sheer number when it comes to battling, rather than any actual physical prowess. However, Zim has, on occasion, shown feats of uncanny strength, an example of which being when he bodyslams a human in Attack of the Saucer Morons. In spite of their apparent weaknesses, however, Irkens appear to have extremely long life spans compared to normal humans, Zim himself being around 159 in Earth years (equivalent to just under 16 years on Irk). See Also *Irken *Irken PAK *Irken History Category:Irken Empire